I was lucky enough to obtain a copy of this song since it’s on its early mastering stages. This means that the song that you are about to hear is a bit rough. However, the final mix will be available soon, but i will have to wait for a signal from them. Anyway, to make things short and brutal, this song is from the band called, Inburn (click the name, go their Facebook page and like it. Thanks). Before I go ripping up the song to shreds, let me tell you a bit about this band.Inburn is one of premiere bands in the independent music scene in Iligan City. They do not belong to any group, music organization (except for the notorious FB group, “Musika Forum” who operates under two equally notorious admins. you know who you are. lol) or whatsoever but they stood through the test of time. Being an Independent act in Iligan is tough. You don’t get that much support from people who can spend and create events that is why gigs are very rare. Only few people appreciates home – brewed music for most of them are still plugged in to the zombie system, popularly known as “The Mainstream” (sounds like, the matrix). Also, add up the fact that we’re living on a city filled with, never mind…

Anyway, if you read all of those things above, you’ll get the idea. Inburn surpassed it all and being able to come up with new materials despite of the shit-filled, cum – drenched situation. That is proof, ya dig?

Now, back to the song. The song is called, “Affliction” and by definition (switches tab, types “g-o-o-g-l-e”….), it means:

af·flic·tionNoun/əˈflikSHən/

1. Something that causes pain or suffering.

2. Pain or suffering

It’s exactly how vocalist, Duly Pestolante described it. The song is all about suffering from all sorts of things. It’s really up to you how you relate to it. Maybe you are suffering because of constant scratching or, well, you get my point, right?

The intro starts with a heavy guitar riff inside some sort of lo-fi effect (like listening through a telephone). This is a popular effect which in this scenario, works pretty much well as it sort of braces you for what’s to come; like the calm before the storm. And surely, after that intro, the full -forced, hyped riff kicks in and that’s the time that you should bob your head up and down in old school grunge fashion. The intro part brings about a different mood. You can’t tell if its indie rock just by listening to the intro. I personally like the pick screamed, bent up squeal of the guitar after the chugging. It makes you raise the rock and roll hand sign while kicking your neighbor’s dog.

Going on to the refrain, the mood changes. That’s where the signature “Inburn” vibe goes a hundred percent. From here, the energy builds up only to be chopped by the double – pedal fueled semi break down. On the “we’re dying…” part, you can feel desperation for finding a solution to keep yourself away from this hell that you’re in. After this part is some sort of heavy interlude and it goes back to that desperate “we’re dying” part and after that, its total chaos filled with breakdowns, catalyzed by the spine – tingling growl which I am really not sure who’s the person behind it. And then the chaos suddenly comes to a halt that was supposed to be a sign that more chaos is coming your way. This is my favorite part of the song; i call it the “scary guitar solo” which drops you into a dark place where you can clearly say that you are fucked. The end.

The song structure is well – crafted. You will know by listening to it that it isn’t one of those songs that were done in a hurry. It isn’t too formulaic either; it’s honest and straight – forward, lyric-wise. They are definitely one of those bands who believes in their craft and are willing to do whatever it takes to produce an original song despite of the situation that they are in. Unfortunately, I can’t say much about its recording quality because it would be unfair to do so since it’s only a rough demo. Let’s just wait for the album to come out and do this again. All in all, I can say that this is truly one of the reasons why I firmly believe that the Iligan independent music scene is definitely not dead, as opposed to what other people might say.

So if you like what you are hearing and you want to support them, please go to their page and click “like”, buy their record when it comes out, support them by watching their gigs. Just click the link:

Other Iligan Bands that you might not know and would want to check out:

Affliction
Can you hear me screaming?
Falling down from the edge
Crawling searching for an answer
Cold and hungry
Pre Cho:
We’re dying
Facing against the wall
We’re trying to escape from this world
And we’re fighting, fighting for freedom
We’re losing (hope) for a better tomorrow
We’re dying
Facing against the wall
We’re trying to escape from this world
We’re fighting, fighting for freedom
We’re losing (hope) for a better tomorrow

Dako kaayo ni ug matabang sa mga indie bands dri sa atong dapit. pls support local bands…If not now, when? If not here, where? If not YOU, who? Today is the day to take a step toward your dream! heheh….